In This Section

Cleansweep

CIT In Action – Vol. 1, No. 5

2. New York Civil Liberties Union Releases Report on Consumer and Police Interaction

3. CIT Prevents Injuries, Leads to Positive Outcomes!

4. UtahCITAcademy

5. New Mental Health Court in KaneCounty

6. BJA Announces Call for Concept Papers

7. Useful Links

1. CIT on CNN

Following the tragic Miami shooting, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the CNN senior medical correspondent traveled to visit the Georgia Crisis Intervention Team. Dr. Gupta educated viewers about the positive outcomes of CIT including de-escalation, police education, and linking consumers to care. Dr Gupta observed de-escalation role play and was able to interview representatives from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the New York Police Department Health Advisory Committee, and JohnsHopkinsUniversity . Ms. Jennifer Hunt of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, in discussing the humanistic approach to CIT stated, "what we train our officers to do in crisis situations with consumers is to be compassionate, empathetic, understanding, and very, very patient." Congratulations to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for your CNN coverage and the opportunity to bring CIT into the national spotlight.

For more on this story, visit the ‘Paula Zahn Now’ December 8, 2005 transcript section at http://www.cnn.com

2. New York Civil Liberties Union Releases Report on Consumer and Police Interaction

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) released a report on December 2, 2005 after researching how two New YorkState police departments interact with mental healthcare consumers. The report titled ‘Police Encounters with Persons with Mental Illness in the Capitol District” examines police responses to consumers and recommends trainings to improve these encounters. Recommendations for each department include enacting a CIT program to better equip officers for encounters with consumers in crisis.

Officer Paul Ware of the Portland, Oregon CIT program was recently in the Oregon State Capitol of Salem to discuss CIT with lawmakers and educate them about the success of his program as part of "Oregon National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Day". While he was there, Officer Ware heard about a situation in the Senate chambers involving a man in crisis who was brandishing a knife. Officer Ware went to the chambers and spent 45 minutes talking with the man, calming him down until further help arrived. Thanks to Officer Ware, the situation ended without harm to anyone. For the "compassion and respect" he exhibited in dealing with this crisis, Officer Ware was awarded The Nathan Thomas Memorial Award by the Oregon Chief’s Forum, the highest honor given by this organization. (The Oregonian, December 13, 2005, B01).

4. UtahCITAcademy

The Orem Police Department recently hosted Utah’s first CITAcademy. Twelve departments took place in the voluntary training program. Training was conducted at the Orem City Department of Public Safety as well as in the community. This academy was made possible with the cooperation of NAMIUtahCounty, Wasatch Mental Health and the Orem Police Department.

For more information on this program and future trainings, please contact the following CIT Training Coordinators:

Kane County, Illinois will soon be launching a new mental health court to divert offenders with mental illnesses into treatment. According to The Kane County Chronicle, the CountyBoard "is expected to approve an ordinance to set up funding for the mental health court. Funding will be specifically accrued from fines and other court costs levied on criminal defendants found guilty of a crime, as well as those placed on court supervision." The court will only serve defendants with a nonviolent or low level felony charge. Judge Hudson emphasizes that the goals of the Court are therapeutic, not punitive. "The main goal is to improve access to treatment." (www.kcchronicle.com )

6. BJA Announces Call for Concept Papers

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is issuing a call for concept papers from state, local, or tribal governments, including courts, to fund one additional mental health court demonstration project that reflects innovative and collaborative efforts for system wide court improvements for offenders with mental illness. One award in the amount of $150,000 will be made for up to 24 months. All applications are due by 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on February 2, 2006.

The Ohio Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence (CJ/CCoE):http://www.neoucom.edu/CJCCOE/
Established in May 2001 to promote jail diversion alternatives for people with mental illness throughout Ohio.

The Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project:http://www.consensusproject.org
A repository of information about all aspects of jail diversion, reentry, and enhanced treatment for offenders with mental illness.

The NationalGainsCenter:http://gainscenter.samhsa.gov/html/default.asp
Focused on expanding access to community based services for adult's diagnosed with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders at all points of contact with the justice system.

Police Executive Research Forum (PERF):http:// www.policeforum.org/
Information about criminal justice and mental health, community policing and other relevant information).

The Reentry Policy Council:http://www.reentrypolicy.org/Bipartisan recommendations for successful prisoner reentry practices. This comprehensive report is beneficial as it recommends reentry strategies that reduce the likelihood of recidivism.

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